


Nothing heals the soul more than family

by the_scarlet_01



Series: New life of Omega Buck [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: ABO AU, Alpha Athena Grant, Alpha Bobby Nash, Alpha Eddie Diaz, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Buddie centric, F/M, Family Dinner Time, M/M, May and Harry are like the little siblings Buck never had, Omega Evan "Buck" Buckley, Some Angst with a Happy Ending, a bit of hurt/comfort, and he adores them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22081657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_scarlet_01/pseuds/the_scarlet_01
Summary: Bobby is nervous about Buck having dinner at their house for the first time since the lawsuit and Buck nearly dying from Omega Isolation Syndrome. Athena isn't worried, but she is wary of Eddie and his new status as Buck's newly bonded mate. The female alpha gives Eddie something really important to think about, which results in an emotionally painful realization. Eddie's realization leads to an important conversation and cuddles.Takes place after Out of the haze.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Athena Grant, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: New life of Omega Buck [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548367
Comments: 13
Kudos: 472
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	Nothing heals the soul more than family

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd  
> Not exactly the team dinner I promised in the end of part 1, but I think this was needed more than that.

Bobby checked the goulash that was baking. This was the first dinner Buck would be joining them for since the night Bobby told him he’d been the one keeping him from working. That alone would have made Bobby nervous, add the fact that the kid had almost died again, and that had Bobby even more on edge. He wouldn’t hold it against the omega if he hated him. Bobby had failed him.

“Bobby, it’s never going to finish cooking if you keep checking it. It’s just losing heat.” Athena said pulling everything she needed to make the salad to go along with the goulash. She knew her husband was uneasy. He had almost lost the man he loved like a son. “He wouldn’t be coming here just to pick a fight. That’s not how that boy does things and you know it.”

“I know.” Bobby sighed. “I just keep thinking about the past few times he’s been here, his party and then the one that led to the lawsuit. The fact he even wants to step foot in this house is beyond me.”

“There were plenty of other dinners and parties he was here for. Let’s just hope he’ll focus on the good and not the bad.” The female alpha tried to reassure him.

Bobby was about to reply when there was a knock at the door. May shouted that she’d get it. They heard the teenager greet their guests. Bobby wiped his hands and headed towards the door, smiling when he saw May give Buck a hug. The omega hadn’t really been a stranger before the mess of the lawsuit. He’d actually spent a great deal of time with Harry and May. The alpha’s step kids had been disappointed when Bobby told them Buck wouldn’t be around as much. Bobby watched as Harry led Christopher away to play video games.

“Hey Cap,” Eddie walked over to Bobby, handing Bobby a bottle of wine. His mother would lecture him if he had showed up to dinner empty handed. “Thanks for having us over.”

“Thanks, Eddie.” Bobby smiled, accepting the bottle. “Always happy to have you guys over.” Bobby looked over at Buck. “Come on in, dinner is almost ready. Make yourself at home.”

“Don’t worry, Bobby. We didn’t leave you out, brought dessert too.” Buck said going over to pick up the box he’d set down to give May a hug. “No big deal, I didn’t make it, the baker down the street makes the best chocolate pie I’ve had since back home.” 

Athena came out of the kitchen. “How you feeling, Buckaroo?” She asked, humming in appreciation at the pie and grinning as she took the wine from Bobby. “Knew you were my favorite for a reason.” She winked. 

The omega laughed. “Much better, especially if I still get to be your favorite after everything.”

“Well, they lost their own ground in that race on their own. You’re a good kid, Buck. We’ll make sure these knuckle heads never forget it.” The female alpha grinned, taking a good look at the omega. “But I’m very glad you’re back on the mend. Why don’t you go make sure the boys behave.”

“Can do,” Buck nodded before heading to join Harry and Christopher in the living room.

Athena turned to Eddie. “You get to set the table.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The younger alpha nodded. He knew better than to argue. He was sure he was already on the alpha’s shit list after what had happened to Buck. Eddie accepted the plates when she handed them to him and brought them to the table.

“How’s he doing?” Bobby asked, voice low as he set the bread on the table.

“He really is doing better. Been making sure he eats. Chris has made sure he’s been in a good mood. His vision has cleared up and the rest of it will take time.” They finished setting the table as a timer went off. Bobby went to check the goulash. He brought the finished dish to the table. “I’ll go let them know dinner is done.” Eddie walked to the living room. “Alright boys, dinner time.” Harry shuts off the game. May hands Christopher his crutches and followed the boys to the dining room. He thanked May as she passed. Eddie held out his hand to Buck. Buck rolled his nearly normal eyes but accepted the offered hand and laced their fingers. The kids talked about school and upcoming plans, arguing over potential weekend plans, through most of dinner. The grown-ups let them, wanting to keep the conversation light. After dinner the kids went back to playing games. May went to act as a distracted referee while she focused mostly on her phone.

“Seriously, guys,” Buck laughed. “I’m fine really. A bit tired, but I’m good. I feel better than I have in weeks.”

“Good enough for your next shift?” Bobby asked. Athena sighed, hoping this went better than the last time Buck had been there. Bobby held his hands up in defense. “Just want to be sure you’re up for it, no pressure.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow night,” The omega nodded. “No worries.”

“Just be careful, Buckaroo.” Athena nodded. “You look like you could use a bit more weight on you before you get back to your typical hero-ing. So maybe give it a few days before you try jumping off a building, or whatever crazy antics you plan on getting up to.”

“I can’t make any promises.” Buck grinned. “But for you, Athena, I’ll try.”

“Always the charmer.” Athena swatted his shoulder. “I’m going to grab dessert.”

Athena brought out the pie Buck had brought and let Bobby slice it. Buck waited eagerly for them to take a bite. Eddie couldn’t hide the smile at how excited the omega was, their new bond practically humming with the excitement.

“You weren’t kidding, were you?” Athena said after taking a bite. “Of course the boy from ‘The Sweetest Place on Earth’ would know where to find a pie this good.”

“The only time I can ever take pride in where I’m from.” Buck admitted.

“Buck,” Bobby gave him a sad smile. “You’re from there and you survived it. That’s more than enough to be proud of. For better or worse, it helped turn you into the man you are today. Take pride in that.”

“Thanks, Bobby.” Buck smiled. “What do you think of it?”

Bobby took a bite. “She’s right as always, it’s a damn good pie. Excellent choice.”

“Hey!” May glared at them, “Dessert without us? Rude. Buck told me it’s the best.”

“I’ve got you,” Buck said, serving up a slice and sliding it towards May.

“I’ll go get the boys.” Eddie said.

Athena took over and cut the two younger kids smaller slices of pie. “No need to have them bouncing off the ceiling with that much chocolate.”

“They’d probably eat the whole thing if you let them,” Buck grinned.

“It is pretty good.” May said, a playful smirk on her face. “The best, I don’t know about that.”

“Oh May,” Buck mocked shock. “You wound me.”

“I think you’ll live.” May laughed. “Then again, your man can patch you up.”

Buck choked on the drink he’d just taken when she said it. Why was he always coughing up a lung at their house? Bobby reached over to pat Buck’s back to help him. Eddie watching the whole thing, completely on edge, from where he was getting Christopher settled at the table. Relaxing only a bit when Buck gave them a thumbs up and in a somewhat strained voice said he was good.

“May…” Athena cautioned. “Behave.” Harry snickered from where he sat as he dug into his piece of pie. “You too.” Athena narrowed her gaze at her son. The rest of dessert went by without any more near death experiences. Yet, the male alphas in the room stayed a bit on edge during it. Buck sputtering and coughing had brought back the feelings of fear that both of them had during Buck’s recertification party and pulmonary embolism. If Buck or the kids noticed, none of them said anything. But Athena did notice the way Eddie watched the omega closely. The alpha’s arm over the back of Buck’s chair, his hand on the omega’s back as Buck leaned forward against the table, talking to the kids. She wasn’t really all that surprised that Eddie Diaz seemed to be an over protective alpha. Just as long as being over protective doesn’t lead to him being overly possessive, they’d keep getting along just fine. But, something still seemed uneasy about the alpha. A little bit later she seemed to have an idea of what was off. Buck and the kids had gone back to the living room. Eddie was helping clean up after dessert.

Athena caught him as he put the last of the dishes in the sink and asked the younger alpha, “Does he know what happened?”

“He knows he almost died and that we are together now.” Eddie‘s movements stilled as he spoke.

“Eddie,” Athena narrowed her gaze at him. “Together is an understatement. You two are now mates, bonded mates. Does he know that?”

“I…” Eddie thought about it. He wasn’t actually sure. They were together and Buck was moving in, but they hadn’t exactly discussed how they were bonded and how it didn’t happen ideally. “I don’t know.”

Eddie managed to get a sound asleep Christopher out of the car. Buck got the door and carried the boy’s crutches. They both worked to get Christopher changed into his pajamas and into bed. Buck headed to the living room and dropped down on the couch. Eddie froze in the doorway, still uneasy about what Athena had asked.

“You just going to hover over there or what?” Buck asked.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Eddie words came out a bit rushed, moving to stand in front of the TV. Buck’s eyes following his movements as he did.

“Okay, what is it?” Buck ask, confused.

“I know this is all happened so fast, but…you know I bit you, right?”

Buck nodded, still confused.

“You realize what that means, right? Like _actually_ means.”

It was quiet as Buck thought it over. Bobby had mentioned before they left the station that they were bonded. The omega had been exhausted and his vision obscured, so he hadn’t thought about it much. He reached up to rub at the bite mark and realized what Eddie was trying to say. The location meant it was a claiming bite, he knew that. Eddie had claimed him as his mate. They were bonded. Buck nodded. The more he thought about it part of him was happy he was bound to Eddie, but part of him wanted to cry. He’d always heard that it was meant to be romantic, a shared moment of bliss. It was a big moment of his life and he couldn’t even really remember it. That stung.

“Evan…” Eddie started to approach him, when the omega didn’t answer. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t lose you. There wasn’t any other way. I know this isn’t how it is supposed to happen, but I just…I needed you to be okay.”

“I…it’s fine. I…I’m tired.” Buck said as he stood up and headed to their bedroom.

Eddie bit back a sob, dropped down on the couch and buried his face in the cushions. It clearly wasn’t fine. He knew it because he could feel it. They were bonded, so he knew it. He just kept hurting Buck, even when he was trying to help, he hurt him. He was a horrible alpha and even worse mate.

Buck pulled his shirt off and looked in the mirror. He looked at the bite. He tried to control his breathing. Eddie had done it to save his life. The alpha clearly cared for him, the past two days made that clear, but was that because he felt guilty? Was it just because they were bonded? Had Eddie loved him before everything went to shit? The omega felt tears start to fall. He loved Eddie and he had for a long time. He’d dreamed of being bonded to him, but not like this, never like this. He changed into sweats and crawled into bed, curling in on himself and cried.

Eddie couldn’t take it. It had only been a few minutes but he hated it. The scent of sadness and fear hit him like a brick to the head. Without thinking he was in the room, taking off his boots, and crawling into bed, pulling the omega to him. He hoped he wasn’t crossing a line or that the omega didn’t hate him, but the alpha instincts drove him. He needed to comfort his mate. The rational part of his brain knew that he was the one that hurt him, again, but the alpha side didn’t care. The rational side was soothed slightly when Buck, despite his doubts, tucked his head in the crook of the alpha’s neck, the omega relaxing a bit as he did. Buck cried for a few more minutes before he managed to pull himself together. Eddie let a few tears fall but tried to keep it together.

“Do you love me?” The omega’s voice was muffled slightly and the alpha could feel his breathe on his neck. The alpha shivered slightly but forced himself to focus.

“What? Of course I do.” Eddie tightened his grip around his omega. “I cannot live without you, Evan.”

“Did you…before? Like did you love me before yesterday?” Buck whispered.

“You mean did I love you before I bit you to save your life, don’t you?” The alpha felt Buck nod against his neck. “Yes, god yes, Evan.” Eddie pulled away so that he could get a good look at the omega’s face. “Ev, I have wanted to be with you since I met you. You were so beautiful, even when you were trying to alienate me. Then you smiled at me after that stupid grenade and when you learned about Chris and immediately said you loved kids. Watching you with Chris, I’m serious Buck, I sometimes would feel like my face might break from how much it made me smile. Then Shannon came back and I tried, I really did, for Christopher’s sake to make it work. I couldn’t, I hated myself. She wanted a divorce. Then she thought she was pregnant and I didn’t know what to do. And then she died. She came back like a whirlwind, messed everything up, and then I couldn’t stay mad at her because she died. My feelings for you never changed, I just hated myself. Then you almost died, under that truck and I just had to stand there and watch. It was honestly worse than losing the mother of my child. Standing there, watching you trapped and helpless, was worse than finding her in that accident. I couldn’t lose you. Then when you pulled through I was still angry and confused at myself. So I focused on work and Christopher, and just making sure you survived the healing process. Then making sure you survived PT without killing yourself. I felt like, maybe, just maybe we could get back to something but then you were coughing up blood, and I almost lost you again. Then I almost lost you and Chris. Which again, that is not your fault. So don’t even try to argue. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn’t figure out when or how to do it. I just kept getting angrier at myself and then I used the lawsuit as an excuse to redirect my anger. I took it out on you, and I almost lost you, again, because I am a terrible alpha and an angry coward, and I ruined the one good thing a mated pair are supposed to have. I claimed you without you knowing. I forced a bond to save you from a situation I put you in.”

“Whoa, okay that is a lot to take in. You were talking like…crazy fast,” the omega chuckled. “And for the record, a simple yes would have worked too, but wow. That…all that means a lot to me.” Buck smiled.

“I’m sorry you’re bonded to such a shitty alpha.” Eddie said.

“Eds, no.” Buck put a hand on Eddie’s cheek, brushing away the tears he wasn’t even sure the alpha realized he had shed. “You’re an amazing alpha. I mean you saved me, and you are such an amazing dad.”

“But a bond is supposed to be shared.” The alpha said.

“And it is. You know I love you too, right? Eddie, I’m not kidding. Yeah, I wanted to hate you but you were like the most amazing alpha I’d ever seen, like I couldn’t believe you were real. I wanted to find a reason to not like you, but you were so kind and funny, and Chris. Oh boy, I never stood a chance. You were so perfect.” Buck laughed. “You think your face hurt from smiling, try being an omega watching the most amazing alpha he’d ever met be a fucking fantastic father. It was so damn hard to keep it together more often than not. Despite a kind of broken heart, I wanted you and Shannon to be happy. I wanted Christopher to be happy and have his parents. I had wanted to tell you how I felt, but it always felt wrong. Even after she died, I didn’t want you guys to feel like I was trying to replace her. So I waited. Then I felt so damn useless and like an absolute burden in that damn cast. I was a broken omega. I couldn’t saddle you with a broken omega, especially when you already had Christopher to worry about. So I focused on getting better, then I got worse. Then I just kept screwing everything up, again and again. And then it was yesterday. We really are a matched set. A damaged set with insane baggage, but we match.”

Eddie laughed. “Appears so, but Ev you aren’t a burden, you aren’t damaged. You’re a selfless and caring omega that loves my pup like he’s your own, how could I not love you?”

“Yeah, well, you aren’t shitty, you’re my alpha. I’d have chosen you even if we were in a different situation. I love you. Yeah, I’m sad I don’t remember you claiming me, but there is so much more to a bond and you know it.”

“I love you and I’d choose you too.” The alpha nuzzled the bite mark that signified their bond. “I do know it, and I look forward to exploring every aspect of it.”

“Sounds fun to me,” Buck grinned.

“Later though, you still look exhausted and we have a shift tomorrow night.” The alpha left little room for argument.

Buck sighed dramatically. “Fine, but only if you promise to make it up to me.”

“Oh, I will make it up to you. All of it. I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Comments are appreciated.  
> You can find my writings or send me prompts on tumblr @sortofanobsession.


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